Portland Police Department and law enforcement agencies all across Maine are doing their best to reassure community members that they do have a grip on the crime situation in the area. However, their efforts are being hosed down by frequent headlines pertaining to the occurrence of violent crimes. In fact, even crime statistics are going against the police, proving that people are actually right to be concerned.
In the 9 years between 2003 and 2012, there has been an increase of nearly 13% in the rate of violent crimes in the state. As opposed to this, violent crime figures actually plunged by almost 19% at the national level. When writing this article, nearly 36 active homicide prosecutions were being sought in the courts of Maine. Furthermore, on an average, the state witnesses as many as 25 murders every year.
There is some positive news from the police but this is far from enough. Latest reports show that in 2014, crime in the state decreased by 15%, which was the largest drop in the last four decades. Yet, the long term trends are a clear indication of the fact that not all is well with the law and order situation in Maine.
The second homicide complaint filed in Portland attests to the fact that despite the decrease in statewide crime rates, the situation on the streets remains worrisome. Not just Portland but also several other Maine counties have been unable to curb the growth in the number of violent crimes.
Most notable among these were Kennebec County where an astounding rise of 122% was seen in the rates of violent crime. This was followed by Lincoln County that witnessed a rise of almost 64% and Sagadahoc County which clocked in a growth of 47% in violent crimes. Similarly, while the overall crime scenario seemed to be improving in Cumberland County with a drop of 10.5% in violent crimes, the area still led the state in terms of homicides with 45 murder cases reported between 2003 and 2012.